Jingdezhen Ming-Style Blue-and-White Qilin and Waves Meiping Vase

A qilin strides across rolling waves on this compact Jingdezhen meiping, surrounded by flame-like clouds and bordered by scrolling peony. The creature's raised head, moving mane, and patterned body give the central register a clear direction around the vase.

In Chinese visual culture, the qilin is a benevolent auspicious creature associated with wise rule, peace, and the arrival of worthy people. Those associations give the image more than decorative drama: the vase carries a wish for an honorable household and a flourishing next generation, expressed through a mythic figure rather than a written inscription.

The small mouth, full shoulder, and narrowing foot keep the silhouette steady beneath the moving waves. This is a cabinet-scale vase for close looking: cobalt density, linework, and the transition from floral borders to the central qilin can all be inspected without the distance required by a larger statement piece.

• Origin: Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China
• Material: Porcelain made from porcelain stone and kaolin
• Decoration: Hand-painted underglaze blue
• Motifs: Qilin, waves, flame clouds, scrolling peony, and decorative borders
• Form: Meiping vase
• Dimensions: 26 cm H x 17.8 cm body diameter / 10.2 in H x 7.0 in body diameter
• Mouth opening: 5 cm / 2.0 in
• Base diameter: 10.8 cm / 4.3 in
• Object status: Contemporary Ming-style interpretation